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Concussions have limited the Pittsburgh Penguins captain to just 63 games over the past two seasons -- only 22 in 2011-12.

With that in mind and a lockout threatening at least the start of the 2012-13 season, he said Thursday he would consider going to Europe to play if the impending lockout looks like it's here to stay. Asked if he was concerned he would be taking a job away from another player, Crosby said, well, no.

"I think everyone has a different opinion about that," he said. "My opinion would be I'm a hockey player. It's a competitive business. Do I look forward to the opportunity of taking someone's job? No. At the end of the day, I'm a hockey player. I think we all work hard and want to play.

"I don't see anything wrong with that."

It was important for the union to have arguably the best player in the game endorse the players' stand. Crosby said he was impressed by the presence of more than 280 players at two days of meetings where they were updated by NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr on the labour impasse.

"Probably most of us don't like it," Crosby said. "We don't enjoy this part of it. It's tough for us to understand it, realize the ins and outs of everything. That's basically what we're here to do.

"To see a turnout like we had, to see the guys are interested ... that's not just because they care about finances or what they're getting paid. They want to play. They want to know what they're standing for. At the end of the day everybody cares and just wants to play."